Essential Guide to Adventure Travel and Tours in Goa

The Best Alternative to the Mountains for Adventure in India

Goa is the best alternative to the mountains for anyone looking for adventure and adrenaline in India. The options for Goa adventure activities are almost endless, and include water sports, go-karting, scuba diving and snorkeling, hiking, fishing, cycling, and dolphin and crocodile spotting trips. Here's what's available.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

Goa has some noteworthy scuba diving sites around Grand Island, including Suzy’s Wreck, Davy Jones Locker, Shelter Cove, Umma Gumma Reef, and Bounty Bay. The best months are from November to April.

The highly-regarded Barracuda Diving at Baga Beach runs certified scuba diving courses, as well as snorkeling and scuba diving trips. Other recommended dive centers are Goa Diving at Bogmalo Beach near the airport, and Dive Goa at Candolim.

For snorkeling in Goa, you can take a day trip to Grand Island, such as this one offered by Atlantis Watersports. However, people often report that it's not worth it as there's little to see, and the island gets crowded with other tour boats at times. Tarkarli, just over the border in Maharashtra, is a much better alternative for snorkeling.

Water Sports

From initially only being available at five star hotels, water sports are now on offer at beaches all over Goa. You can choose from parasailing, jet skiing, water skiing, wake boarding, kite surfing, windsurfing, catamaran sailing, and banana rides. Prices vary according to duration but you can expect to pay around 1,000 rupees upwards per person for parasailing, 800 rupees for jet skiing, 600 rupees for a speedboat ride, and 300 rupees for a banana ride.

White Water Rafting and Kayaking

White water rafting trips take place daily down the Mhadei River during the monsoon season from July to September. They're organized by Goa Tourism in conjunction with Goa Rafting. The meeting point is at Valpoi, around an hour and a half inland (east) of Panjim

It's also possible to go on daily kayaking trips throughout the year, as well as more adventurous multi-day kayaking expeditions and safaris. More information is available from Goa Kayaking.

Fishing Tours

Catching a huge fish can provide quite a thrill and fishing trips are growing in popularity in Goa. Fishing is best in the early morning and late afternoon, and from mid October to mid December in Goa. John’s Boat Tours in Candolim runs fishing trips on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Goa-Fishing, based in Dona Paula, is operated by a licensed commercial/sports fisherman and provides a range of more expensive trips for serious fishers. These include fishing on the shore, full day deep sea fishing expeditions, and spear fishing off the reefs of Grand Island and Bat Island.

If you want to catch fish and then have them expertly cooked the Goan way while you watch, check out this Happiness on a Hook trip from Breakaway.

Dolphin and Crocodile Sightseeing Tours

Dolphin (and crocodile!) spotting is a popular tourist activity in Goa. The best time is from October until May, while the monsoon isn’t around. Most boat cruises leave from near the mouth of the Mandovi River near Panjim.

John’s Boat Tours in Candolim runs dolphin trips on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Crocodile trips run on Thursdays and Sundays. The price includes Goan food and beer. If you don't see a dolphin, you don't pay!

Alternatively, Terra Conscious offers this four-hour Ethical Dolphin Watching Safari. The trips are led by a conservation professional, and conducted in accordance with international dolphin watching guidelines.

Trekking and Camping

October to December is the perfect time to go trekking in Goa. Goa Jungle Adventure is operated by two experienced French guides, and organizes trekking and canyoning trips from Palolem. The trips are suitable for beginners to experts.

Some recommended places to trek and hike to include the Sahyadri Hills, Devils Canyon and the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary in Mollem, the Chandrasurya Temple in Netravali (2 hours south of Panaji), and the Kuveshi Falls to Castle Rock just over the border in Karnataka state.

Birding

There are more than 250 varieties of birds in and around Goa's Western Ghat mountains. Backwoods Camp, situated in the forest near Mollem National Park and Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, is run by birders for birders. It conducts three guided walks per day.

Go-Karting

Go-karting is the latest craze in Goa. The best place for go-karting is located on the Panjim-Margao Highway at Nuvem, in south Goa. The track there is almost 500 meters long (0.3 miles), with lots of twists. Average speeds of 70 kilometers per hour (44 miles per hour) are common.

The other go-karting track in Goa is at Arpora, just north of Baga and Calangue Beaches in north Goa, near Ingo's night market. The track there is only just over 300 meters (0.2 miles) long, and it’s a much easier course. It’s open until 10 p.m.

Military Simulation Paintball

If you're a group of family or friends that's looking for a real adrenaline rush, you can get a glimpse of military life on the battlefield by playing Milsim (short for Military Simulation). Tactical paintball guns, obstacles and barriers, mission plans, and warfare games make it as realistic as it gets! Milsim is located in Nuvem, in south Goa.